Travel outside Malaysia
This is my last Hanoi post covering day 3 and day 4 (last day). It’s very long…
While day 2 was spent mostly at the French Quarter, we have all the day 3 sticking our butts at the Old Quarter (north of Hoàn Kiếm Lake).
We begin our day by having Booth avocado for our 1st breakfast which we bought from Vinmart on our first day. The avocado was very creamy. I had it with sea salt which I brought along with my trip.
Hanoi Day 1: AirAsia, Emerald Waters Hotel Trendy & Vinmart
Let’s continue day 2 of my Hanoi travelogue. Day 2 is a day full of walking, eating, eating, walking and more eating. Our mission is to visit the south of Hoàn Kiếm Lake and the French Quarter with lots of eating in between.
When I booked our room at Emerald Waters Hotel Trendy, the package came with a buffet breakfast. At that time, I thought it would be a waste because we planned to have our breakfast outside every day.
Fast forward to our first morning in Hanoi, we thought we’ll check out the buffet spread on level 8 and because the food looked so inviting, we decided to have a light breakfast there.
In recent years, there were lots of Vietnamese restaurants mushrooming up in Klang Valley as well as travel programs featuring Vietnam on the TV, so much so that I can’t help but be tempted by this country. The icing on the cake was when I tried my very first Vietnamese food in a restaurant in PJ about 2 years back. I was hooked immediately and knew I gotta visit Vietnam one day and sample their beautiful cuisine. And so, Vietnam became my 2019 holiday destination!
I choose to visit Hanoi simply because it’s the capital of Vietnam and from what I’d read, it’s busy and yet more laidback and traditional compared to Ho Chi Minh. This trip was a take-it-easy + food trip. With only 4 days and 3 nights (22nd October to 25th October 2019), we concentrated on the Old Quarter and French Quarter surrounding Hoàn Kiếm Lake. This trip also marked our 5th overseas siblings-only vacation.
Since it’s a take-it-easy + food trip, I took the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens with me. It did make the trip lighter. All photos taken are either from Nikon D80, Nokia 6 or Samsung Note 9.
Fellow Malaysians, if you’re staying for 30 days or less in Vietnam you do not need a visa. Please note that Hanoi time zone is GMT+7.
Although AirAsia is no longer cheap, I flew with it again this time because it’s still cheaper (you know what I mean?). When my kiamsiap-ness (frugalness; which is very often) kicks in, that’s what I choose. I’ve more or less embraced the looooong walk to the boarding gate at KLIA2 (which I’ve complained a lot previously). It’s good having lots of movement before flying as we’ll be sitting most of the time in the plane. See, there is always 2 sides or more of a coin when one changes one’s perception. 🙂 Also, I found a secret or should I say workaround about something at the airport. I cannot even share what it is. Hehe
Hong Kong Day 1: HKIA, First Airbnb & Duk Ling
Hong Kong Day 2: Victoria Peak Garden, Shopping & Sai Ying Pun
Hong Kong Day 3: Prizemart, Liu Ma Kee, Shanghai Street & Best Mart 360
Beware: a very long post!
Woke up at 7am+ on day 4. After dilly-dally, we went out at 10am+ for brunch at a dai pai dong in Tai Hang, Hong Kong Island.
To get to Tai Hang, we need to cross Victoria Harbor either by MTR or ferry (of course you can cross by car, bus or taxi too). Taking the MTR will save time. However we prefer taking the Star Ferry because it’s always an exceptional experience. I’ve rode the ferry before in 2011 that was going to Central. This time, we’re going to Wan Chai area via the Wan Chai ferry route.
At Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier to Wan Chai. We paid the fare with Octopus card.
My 2018 Hong Kong travelogue so far:
Hong Kong Day 1: HKIA, First Airbnb & Duk Ling
Hong Kong Day 2: Victoria Peak Garden, Shopping & Sai Ying Pun
Woke up at 7am+ and went out around 9.30am on day 3. We had our breakfast at Australia Dairy Company. I wanted to try the food here for the longest time. Although it is mission accomplished in this visit, I most probably won’t be returning. Click the link to read about it. Very fascinating I tell ya.
After breakfast, we went to the nearby Prizemart. We discovered Prizemart while queening for Kam’s Roast Duck the previous day and decided to drop by one of the nearby branches the next day. So here we are. I went nuts with chocolate because it was so cheap.
Biscuits at Prizemart.